The first Tuesday of July brought with it a full slate of baseball goodness, with a number of intriguing storylines. Among them: the Yankees and Mets kicking off the Subway Series; the Astros debuting another new arm; and the Angels playing their first game since Tyler Skaggs' death.
For information and those games and all the other news, notes, and updates from across the league, we invite you to check out our daily recap below.
Select games can be streamed regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). For more on what channel each game is on, click here.
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Baseball schedule/scores for Tuesday, July 2
- Nationals 3, Marlins 2 (box score)
- Pirates 5, Cubs 1 (box score)
- Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 6 (box score)
- Mets 4, Yankees 2 (box score)
- Rays 6, Orioles 3 (box score)
- Reds 5, Brewers 4 in 11 (box score)
- Phillies 2, Braves 0 (box score)
- Angels 9, Rangers 4 (box score)
- Tigers vs. White Sox - POSTPONED
- Astros 9, Rockies 8 (box score)
- Indians 9, Royals 5 (box score)
- Athletics 8, Twins 6 (box score)
- Giants 10, Padres 4 (box score)
- Mariners 5, Cardinals 4 (box score)
- Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4 (box scores)
Yankees blow lead as home-run streak ends
It was bound to end at some point. On Tuesday, the Yankees were held without a home run for the first time in 31 games. The team who succeeded in doing the undoable (at least as of late)? Who else, the cross-city rival Mets.
To make matters worse, the Yankees also blew a 2-1 eighth-inning lead.
.@JDDavis26 Just Delivers. 👏 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/CP8QOjSxP7
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 3, 2019
Things started poorly, with DJ LeMahieu making a throwing error before J.D. Davis doubled in the tying run, then continued to go downhill. Adam Ottavino intentionally walked Robinson Cano and gave up a single to Wilson Ramos to load the bases with one out.
Zack Britton then entered and yielded a double to Michael Conforto that scored the go-ahead runs. Just like that, the Mets pulled a 4-2 win out of a looming 2-1 defeat.
Devers delivers as Red Sox snap streak
Rafael Devers is having himself a heck of a season. He entered Tuesday night hitting .322/.372/.525 with 12 home runs and 25 doubles in his first 81 games.
Devers, now back from London with the rest of the Red Sox, added to his totals with a big effort against the Blue Jays.
*DJ Khaled voice* ANOTHER ONE! pic.twitter.com/JytJiQ5AQV
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 3, 2019
Devers went 4 for 5, including his 13th and 14th home runs of the year. He also drove in six runs on the evening, and raised his seasonal OPS from .897 to 926.
The Red Sox won in a rout against Toronto, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Puig continues to surge as Reds win
Yasiel Puig started this season slowly, but he's on fire as of late. Puig entered Tuesday coming off a hot June that saw him post a .950 OPS across 23 games. If Tuesday was any indication, he intends to have a big July as well.
In addition to launching his 18th home run of the year:
No. 18 for Wild Horse 💪#BornToBaseball | @YasielPuig pic.twitter.com/TvCbVDYtvp
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 3, 2019
Puig scored the game-winning run on a mad dash around the bases:
Our jaws are STILL on the floor 😲
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 3, 2019
Another angle of the insane @Reds walk-off winner! #BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/VKsKYEvi8c
In other words, Puig had the kind of game that makes him one of the more entertaining talents in baseball. And the Reds won in large part because of his efforts.
Lowe homers, leaves injured
Rays infielder Brandon Lowe isn't as well known as some of his teammates, but he's arguably the leading candidate to win the AL Rookie of the Year thanks to his impressive pop.
On Tuesday, Lowe homered for the 16th time on the season:
Q: How often do we show a guy make a diving play, then hit a homer?
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 2, 2019
A: Whenever we edit it that way! pic.twitter.com/P5nABObAdD
He later left the game after fouling multiple pitches off his foot. He's listed as day-to-day, so it's unclear if he'll miss any time.
#Rays say Brandon Lowe left with a right lower leg contusion. X-rays were negative and he is day-to-day.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) July 3, 2019
For Lowe's sake, you hope not -- not when this season could deliver some hardware for him to store over his fireplace.
Rangers, Angels, others honor Skaggs
Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room on Monday night. The Angels resumed their season on Tuesday, and did so while paying tribute to their fallen teammate in the form of a jersey patch bearing his No. 45.
The Rangers, the Angels' host, painted Skaggs' number on the back of the mound, and honored him throughout the game with moments of silence in lieu of walk-up music.
Elsewhere, both Patrick Corbin and Trevor Bauer showed respect for Skaggs and his life:
Baseball is family. pic.twitter.com/cBBugpBY5W
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2019
The Angels won't play their first host game since Skaggs' death until after the All-Star Game.
Andrus steals home for the third time
Also in that Rangers game: Elvis Andrus swiped home for the third time this season. It wasn't a straight steal, but rather a delayed first-and-third swipe. Take a look:
Remember when Elvis stole home for the 3rd time this year?
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 3, 2019
Same. pic.twitter.com/qRfVqoHF58
Andrus is, perhaps predictably, the first player in franchise history to ever steal home three times in a single season:
Andrus is the only Rangers player to ever steal home three times in a season
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) July 3, 2019
With half the season remaining, he might just become the first to four, too.
Highlight of the night: Acuna robs a homer
The amazing thing about Ronald Acuna Jr. is how normal his excellence has become. The 21-year entered Tuesday with 20 homers on the season and a 126 OPS+.
And oh, by the way, he can do things like this in the outfield:
All the way 🆙#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/dM4LgQIWMf
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 2, 2019
Sorry Jay Bruce, you just have to tip your helmet on plays like that. (Bruce was probably fine with it since the Phillies won anyway.)
Stat of the night: Yelich hits No. 31
Christian Yelich hit his 31st home run of the season on Tuesday. Here's a look:
.@ChristianYelich wants to stay on top of the HR leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/4ZcbsctJS2
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2019
What makes this the stat of the night? Well, by doing so, Yelich became the first NL player with 31 dingers prior to the All-Star game since Albert Pujols in 2009. Pujols won a second consecutive MVP Award that fall:
.@ChristianYelich is the first NL player with at least 31 HR before the #AllStar break since @PujolsFive in 2009.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) July 3, 2019
Albert won his 2nd straight #MVP that season. 👀 pic.twitter.com/hqD5W03xuN
Whether Yelich can do the same is up to him, God, and Cody Bellinger. But just know he was the first of the two to No. 31.
Quick hits
- The Red Sox's 17 blown saves is second-worst in MLB, and they also has the second-worst save percentage at 50 percent. With right-hander Nathan Eovaldi reportedly set to become the team's closer when he returns from the injured list, it could be the first of several bullpen changes before the trade deadline. Here's more on Boston's bullpen woes.
- The 2019 Home Run Derby is on Monday, July 8. The full field is not set just yet, but Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be one of the participants, the youngest ever at 20-years-old. Before Tuesday's Blue Jays game against the Red Sox, Guerrero Jr. ran a Home Run Derby simulation, and he sure looks like he could win.
- Coors Field is well-known as a hitter-friendly park, but this year it's happening to an extreme measure. Matt Snyder takes a closer look.